TS-LMT

Despite the wide range of concepts presented at the first two Questionmark conferences, the majority of interest remained in a conventional tank that was both lighter and had improved performance than the M48. After the T42 was rejected for failing to meet these requirements, six new concepts were presented in November 1953 by Detroit Arsenal. Four of these were considered to be short-term projects that could be developed using preexisting components.

The first of these proposals was designated as the "lightweight medium tank" or LMT, for short. It was armed with the 90 mm T139 om a 77-inch diameter turret ring. It was powered by the AOI-1195 engine and was estimated to weigh 39 tons. The chassis length of 236 inches, or 317 inches with the gun's overhang. The width was 143 inches. This concept was considered to be a true successor to the T42, and while it was more powerful than this tank, it was still performed worse than the M48.

The remaining three proposals utilized what was essentially the same chassis, but lengthened to include a sixth road wheel and a flat-track suspension. They all used the more powerful AOI-1490, which fixed the performance issue found in the first proposal. But the three tanks all differed with their turrets and armaments, though they all fit the same 85-inch diameter turret ring. The tanks were all estimated to weigh 41, 43.5, and 45 tons respectively. 

The three tanks were armed with the T139, the T76 modified, and the 105 mm T140E3, respectively.

What I'm proposing, the TS-LMT, is a combination of all four of these short-term proposals. The stock configuration (with the stock hull) is the first concept, while the elited configuration (with the second hull) is the fourth concept. While the turrets of the second and third concepts are omitted, their weapons should easily be able to fit inside the fourth concept's turret.

The armor and top speed of these vehicles is unknown to me, but they should be assumed to be equivalent to the M48 Patton.

Guns: 90 mm Gun T139; 90 mm Modified Gun T76; 105 mm Gun T140

Engines: Continental AOI-1195 (560 hp); Continental AOI-1490 (675 hp)

Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): TS-LMT-1 (??/??/??); TS-LMT-4 (??/??/??)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): TS-LMT TBS (37.19); TS-LMT FTS (40.82)

Hull Armor (mm): ??/??/??

Top Speed: ?? km/h

Crew: 4 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander/Radio)



Parent: T42
Children: TL-LMT

Sources:

Hunnicutt, R. P. Abrams, 2015.